Denver’s three independent monitor finalists all hail from California

A screening committee searching for Denver’s next police watchdog today announced three finalists for the Independent Monitor’s position vacated earlier this year when the city’s first and only independent monitor Richard Rosenthal resigned.

The finalists — all from California — are Eddie J. Aubrey, prosecuting attorney in the Renton, Calif.; Julie M. Ruhlin, deputy chief attorney in the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review; Stephen J. Connolly, executive director of the Orange County Office of Independent Review.

Next, the committee will hold two community forums to gauge public input on the finalists, and Mayor Michael Hancock will review and interview the candidates.

Those forums will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mi Casa Resource Center at 360 Acoma St. in Denver; and 6 p.m. Thursday at Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center at 3334 Holly St.

The Independent Monitor Office was created by Mayor John Hickenlooper after two controversial fatal shootings by police in 2003 and 2004.

The ordinance that created the office called for the monitor to inspect internal investigations of police officers and sheriff’s deputies and make recommendations on discipline to the city’s manager of safety.

Rosenthal in 2005 came to Denver from Portland, Ore., to set up the office. He resigned in December to set up a similar office in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Days before Rosenthal resigned, he issued a scathing report that was critical of Denver Police Department’s Internal Affairs bureau. The crux of his assertion: Investigators have a bias when looking into alleged misconduct by police officers.

New Police Chief Robert White announced in March that he was cleaning house in the department’s internal affairs division. He appointed Division Chief Mary Beth Klee to head the Internal Affairs bureau. Officers now handling IA investigations will be replaced by 12 new officers.

On Wednesday, White announced he was eliminating layers of review that delayed discipline in cases of alleged police misconduct, appointing one commander to handle a job formerly done by several people.

The search for a new independent monitor began when a screening committee was formed in January, working with the Career Service Authority to conduct a national search.

Of the 110 applications received, 47 applicants met the minimum requirements established for the position. The panel identified nine applicants to invite for interviews, six of whom accepted. The final three were chose from that pool.

“We thank the amazing pool of applicants for their interest, and through a thorough and independent process we have identified three strong final candidates,” said Screening Committee Chair Dr. Mary Davis, who also chairs the Citizen Oversight Board. “We believe all three candidates have extensive experience with civilian oversight of uniformed personnel, leading and managing an office such as the Office of the Independent Monitor and engaging citizens, community partners and interested parties who interact with an Independent Monitor.”

Aubrey, who is a prosecuting attorney in Renton, Calif., previously served as the first Independent Reviewer in the Office of Independent Review for the City of Fresno, Calif., responsible for ensuring integrity of the Fresno Police Department’s complaint and internal investigation processes. Prior to that position, he served as a judge pro tem with King County District Court in King County, Wash. Aubrey spent 10 years as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the King County Prosecutors Office. He also spent five years as a police officer with the Santa Monica Police Department and nine years as a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Ruhlin, deputy chief attorney in the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review, is responsible for monitoring the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to ensure that allegations of deputy misconduct, deputy-involved shootings, and force incidents are investigated and handled thoroughly, fairly, and objectively. Previously she was a consultant with the Police Resource Center conducting ongoing monitoring of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Ruhlin has six years of experience providing consulting services to law enforcement agencies where she investigated protocols, policies, procedures and training for cities such as Portland, Oregon and Fullerton, California.

Connolly, the executive director of the Orange County Office of Independent Review in Orange County, Calif., is responsible for monitoring critical incidents and allegations of misconduct involving the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Previously, he was one of six attorneys providing civilian oversight of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in California. Oakland, California has hired him on two occasions to review alleged misconduct by the Oakland Police Department. His experience also includes serving as a special review auditor to various California law enforcement agencies, including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Torrance Police Department and Inglewood Police Department.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.